Continuing
its delightful series of fairy-tale ballets for children, which began last year
with “The Sleeping Beauty”, The Australian Ballet has this year produced an
even more appropriate ballet, “The Nutcracker”. Designed to introduce children
as young as three to the world of classical ballet, both ballets have been
artfully scaled down to a running time of around 50 minutes, and presented with
a narration which explains the story as the ballet progresses. Many grandmas
and grandads also found this narration surprisingly informative.Included is just enough judicious audience
participation to keep the young target audience thoroughly engaged, without
interrupting the integrity of the ballet.

Edward Smith (Prince) Chantelle van der Hoek (Clara)inTHE NUTCRACKER

The
experience commences right at the doors of the theatre, as dozens of excited
young princes, princesses and ballerina’s arrive, and kit up with magic wands
and jewelled tiaras from the merchandise shop. Some even manage to contain
their excitement long enough to ooh and ah over the display of historical
costumes worn by famous dancers in past Australian Ballet productions.

For the
Storytime Ballet production of “The Sleeping Beauty” the company used existing
costumes and set-pieces from previous productions, but for “The Nutcracker”, brand
new costumes, and an impressive setting,
were designed by Krystal Giddings, who has used this production to try out some
ideas she has for a full scale version of this work in 2018.

Down with
the lights, and out with the wands, as the young audience is transported to a
Christmas party at which Dr. Drosselmeyer (Sean McGrath) is entertaining
some rather naughty kids, with some clever magic tricks.

Drosselmeyer
addresses the audience directly, to thank them for being at the party and invites
them to help him make magic by waving their wands when he says the magic
word. He also explains the purpose of
the Nutcracker doll which he presents to Clara (sweetly danced by Chantelle van
der Hoek) who gets upset when one of the boys snatches the doll from her and breaks
it. Not to worry, Drosselmeyer puts a
bandage on the nutcracker doll, waves the magic wand, and it’s fixed.

When the
party is over and all the guests leave, Clara falls asleep, then the nutcracker
doll transforms into a handsome prince who invites Clara and Drosselmeyer to
travel with him to a magical world where they are entertained by dancing sweets,
and saved from some villainous rates by the prince and his toy soldiers.

What is so
impressive about this production is how beautifully it is danced. David
McAllister has retained the Petipa choreography, but adapted it where necessary, omitting some
of the longer, slower dances including the Pas
de Deux, Waltz of the Flowers and Arabian
Dance, in favour of the more energetic
numbers, to compress the ballet into one act.

An important
aspect of the Storytime Ballet is the opportunity it offers for performance
experience for the Australian Ballet’s young emerging dancers, so all the dancers
work as an ensemble taking on different roles at different performances.

Kelsey Stokes,(Columbine) Lucien Xu (Harlequin)

At this
performance, Chantelle van der Hoek was quite enchanting as Clara. Lucien Xu
was a dashing Nutcracker Prince. Saranja Crowe stood out with her eye-catching
performance as the Spanish Dancer. Kelsey
Stokes, costumed unusually in a lovely plum-coloured tutu, was every little
girl’s fantasy, in a faultlessly executed performance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’s
solo. The three Mirlitons in their striped stockings looked spectacular, as did
the Harlequin and Columbine.

With every
member of the cast dancing with accuracy and confidence and so totally engaged
in their roles, the disappointment among the young capacity audience of budding
young ballet dancers, at the realisation that this performance was about to
end, when the Prince lifted Clara high above his head in the final ensemble
number, was palpable.

Judging from the excited babble and energetic
pirouettes in the foyer after the performance it was obvious that this performance
had certainly whetted the appetite of its target audience, and wild horses won’t
keep them away when the next production of Storytime Ballet comes to town.

Audience member and possible future ballerina after the performance

Photos by Jeff Busby

This review also appears in Australian Arts Review. www.artsreview.com.au

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About Me

The 26 year-old Canberra Critics’ Circle is the only such group of critics in Australia that runs across all the major art forms, not just performing arts.
The circle changes each year depending on who is writing or broadcasting on the arts in Canberra.
Our aim is to provide a focal point for Canberra reviewers in print and electronic media through discussions and forums. As well, we make awards to ACT region artists (defined as within 100km radius of Canberra) in the latter part of each year.
The CCC has always resisted making awards in “best-of” categories. Arts practice is not a competitive race and Canberra is a small pool where it would be ridiculous to pre-impose categories, apart from major art form genres. The idea is that we, the critics, single out qualities we have noticed -- things which have struck us as important. These could be expressed as abstracts, like impact, originality, creativity, craftsmanship and excellence.
Our year is from September 30 2016 to September 30 2017.
Convener of the Circle is Helen Musa.